Can you use GPS on your smart phone without data connection?

[Winston]

Question: You know those GPS devices everyone uses that runs on satellite? Well can't you do that with your smart phone too? Is there an app that could let you do GPS navigation on your smart phone without WiFi or 3G or a data connection? It should be theoretically possible right?

If so, why would anyone need to spend $100 for a portable GPS if they can just use their smart phone?

[Rock]

Question: You know those GPS devices everyone uses that runs on satellite? Well can't you do that with your smart phone too? Is there an app that could let you do GPS navigation on your smart phone without WiFi or 3G or a data connection? It should be theoretically possible right?

If so, why would anyone need to spend $100 for a portable GPS if they can just use their smart phone?

Works in your smartphone if you have 3G/4G/LTE. I've used a Tomtom GPS app before on a 3G enabled iPhone. Worked as well as the real deal if not better.

[HouseMD]

Works fine on my samsung galaxy s4.

[Winston]

But the GPS that people use in the car doesn't use 3G. It uses satellite. So why cant the phone do that? I don't have 3G.

[HouseMD]

But the GPS that people use in the car doesn't use 3G. It uses satellite. So why cant the phone do that? I don't have 3G.

Most phones have multiple receivers. A cellular receiver that works in multiple bands (regular/3g/4g), a wifi antenna, a bluetooth antenna, and a GPS receiver. You use the gps receiver to find a GPS signal, but some map packages download in real time from the internet and thus require a data connection to function. Get a solid piece of GPS software for your phone that either allows you to download maps prior to travel or has a map library it downloads to your SD card upon purchase and you should be able to use your phone as a GPS in airplane mode.

[Winston]

Ok I looked in my phone apps. There is one called Navigator that works like GPS, but it doesn't work unless you have wifi or 3g or data connection.

So I looked in Google Play Store and found some apps that work with GPS. Just type in GPS in Google Play Store and it will find them. The best one seems to be MapFactor.